PHUKET: The Royal Thai Consulate-General in Penang has announced that it will limit the number of visas issued to just 100 per day, starting from Monday, May 14.

Persons with incomplete documents will not be permitted to enter the building and those found to have had their visa application rejected must not apply until next day, the consulate said in a notice issued earlier today, May 8, marked “ANNOUNCEMENT (visa matters esp. tourists) starting from Monday, 14 May”

Overstays incur a high risk of visa refusal and submission of fake documents will automatically incur a one-year ban on applying for a visa to enter the country, the notice warned.

Visa applications must be filled and signed and photos already attached to the form, and applicants must have the basic required documents:

- copy of passport (+ page with Malaysian immigration stamp)

- evidence of accommodation (hotel booking / house rental agreement)

- travel information (booking of air ticket leaving Thailand)

Financial statements provided must be only in Thai baht, Malaysian Ringgit, US dollars or euros, and only documents in English and/or Thai will be accepted, the notice confirmed.

Visa application and collection times will remain the same, the notice added.

A reason for the new limit on the number of visas issued each day was not given.

For more information, visit the Royal Thai Consulate-General, Penang Facebook page